Heartburn

Almost everyone has heartburn sometimes. Heartburn is a painful burning feeling in your chest or throat. It happens when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. If you have heartburn more than twice a week, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). With GERD, the muscles at the end of your esophagus do not close tightly enough. This allows contents of the stomach to back up, or reflux, into the esophagus and irritate it.

Pregnancy, certain foods, alcohol and some medications can bring on heartburn. Treating heartburn is important because over time reflux can damage the esophagus. Over-the-counter medicines may help. If the heartburn continues, you may need prescription medicines or surgery.

If you have other symptoms such as crushing chest pain, it could be a heart attack. Get help immediately.

Heartburn on Wikipedia

'''Heartburn''' or '''pyrosis''' is a painful burning sensation in the esophagus, just below the Sternum. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck or throat. Heartburn is also identified as one of the causes of asthma and chronic cough.

Pathophysiology

The sensation of heartburn is caused by exposure of the lower esophagus to the acid contents of the stomach. Normally, the lower esophageal cardia (LES) separating the stomach from the esophagus is supposed to contract to prevent this situation. If the sphincter relaxes for any reason (as normally occurs during swallowing), stomach contents, mixed with gastric acid, can return into the esophagus. This return is also known as ''reflux'', and may progress to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) if it occurs frequently. Peristalsis, the rhythmic wave of muscular contraction in the esophagus, normally moves food down and past the LES and is responsible for ultimately clearing refluxed stomach contents. In addition, gastric acid can be neutralized by buffer solutions present in saliva.

Causes

Foods that may cause Heartburn: * Alcohol * Coffee, tea, cola, and other caffeinated and carbonated beverages * Chocolate * Citrus fruits and juices * Tomatoes and tomato sauces (such as pizza and pasta sauce) * Spicy foods and fatty foods (including full-fat dairy products) * Peppermint and spearmint

Treatment

If heartburn occurs when lying down, raising the head with pillows or sitting up frequently provides relief – although care must be taken to avoid placing continuous strain on the neck. Avoidance of certain foods shortly before bedtime is frequently advised to avoid future attacks. Antacids, H2-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors are used (in that order) to treat heartburn.

External Resources

Enzyme Essentials - Digestive enzymes to help nutritional and gastric disorders like heartburn, indigestion, and obesity. Includes product recommendations for individual health problems.

Heartburn - Courtney Weaver reviews 'The Dangerous Passion: Why Jealousy Is as Necessary as Love and Sex' by David M. Buss.

Principal Health News - Digestive Center - Digestive disorders center for help with intestinal problems, from common disorders like flatulence or heartburn to less common ones such as Crohn's Disease or gallstones.

Heartburn-help - Information for heartburn, gastro esophageal reflux disease, hiatal hernia and other digestive diseases.

Acidez.net - Information about heartburn, hiatus hernia, gastroesophageal reflux disease.

National Heartburn Alliance - Our goal is to educate people about the causes and effects of heartburn and offer solutions that may lead to relief. Membership required.

Heartburn and GERD Resource Center - Contains comprehensive information on heartburn and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, includes articles, medical information, and resource information.

Reflux Treatment Centers of America, LLC - A national network of Medical Centers and Physicians specializing in the treatment of heartburn and indigestion, medically known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD.

webGERD.com - Dedicated to help patients who suffer from heartburn and GERD. It also contains useful information for physicians who take care of them.

Syracuse Gastroenterological Associates, P.C. - Solutions for acid reflux, heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux, stomach pains and hernias, and ulcers. Stomach disorder doctors in the Syracuse, NY area.